Chapter 26 #2
Gritting my teeth, I forced out, “She won’t be the one dying tonight.”
“Remains to be seen. You know where to find me.”
Then the line went dead.
While Rory’s passionate plea might have been compelling—and beyond selfless—there hadn’t been time to make her that promise.
Not that I had any plans of upholding it anyway.
I was going to do whatever it took to get them out of there. Even if that meant sacrificing myself.
Shocked to high hell didn’t even begin to describe my reaction when Matteo pulled up outside my front door, seated atop a snowmobile.
He explained that Bianca enjoyed fishing year-round, and he’d purchased the vehicle to get around on the frozen lake during the winter months.
While he never expected to use it as a primary mode of transportation, it sure came in handy today as we dealt with the aftereffects of a blizzard.
Navigating the empty snow-covered streets, we made it to the industrial park that housed our underground casino. And as expected, there were armed men—Dario’s men—waiting for us outside.
They wasted no time in patting us down, stripping away our weapons, before granting us entry.
The minute we stepped inside, I could feel my uncle’s eyes on me.
I lifted my gaze to the one-way glass of the office, high above the casino floor.
There was no question, that’s where Dario waited for me.
The only uncertainty was whether he held my family captive in the same room or if they were holed up in another location.
Fuck, after our phone call, there was no longer a guarantee he hadn’t already killed Rory and Luca.
No. I couldn’t think like that.
They were still alive. They had to be.
“Come on,” Matteo urged, already walking toward the back staircase.
I hastened my steps to catch up so that the two of us were shoulder to shoulder by the time we reached the office door.
My fist was poised to knock on the reinforced steel surface when it swung open, revealing Nico’s smug face.
“Cousins,” he purred in greeting. “So glad you were able to clear your busy schedules to join us.”
His casual remark—acting as if this were a family reunion instead of a hostage situation where my wife’s and child’s lives were at stake—set me over the top, and I had no fucking idea what happened after that.
Gripped in the clutches of a rage blackout, the only thing that brought me back to my senses was the distinct feel of a gun being pressed to the back of my head.
Blinking away the haze of red, I found myself straddling Nico, his face a bloodied mess, several teeth broken or missing. But even though he was beaten to shit, high-pitched maniacal laughter spilled from his lips. Clearly, he was as fucked in the head as his father.
I would be doing the world a favor by erasing them from existence.
“Almost seems too easy.” A female voice spoke from behind, close enough to determine that she was the one holding me at gunpoint.
As I lifted my head, my eyes locked on Dario’s across the room.
“I might’ve been impressed that you were evolving, breaking away from the patriarchy in giving your daughter an active role in your new regime, if only it didn’t highlight how much of a coward you are, letting her be the one to kill me.
Do your men know she’s got bigger balls than you? ”
With a jerk of his chin, Dario relayed a silent signal to Arianna, a split second before the pain that came with being pistol-whipped radiated through my already tender skull, and I collapsed to the floor.
“Gio!” Rory’s voice was distorted, almost like I was hearing it from underwater.
Black spots danced across my vision, but I managed to push myself up onto my hands and knees. “You can put my head on a fucking spike for all I care. Just let her and the baby go.”
Humming, Dario mused, “Just now, you remind me a lot of your father. His final request was that I spare his boys.”
With my father’s murderer uncovered, I couldn’t stop the roar that tore up my throat. “You disloyal piece of shit!”
Unbothered, he remarked, “You’re certainly entitled to your opinion. And while I’ll happily accept your surrender, you only represent the tip of the iceberg. I’m unwilling to take any chances of a future uprising challenging my claim. The opposing bloodline must be completely eradicated.”
The air was knocked from my lungs as a boot stomped on my back, pinning me down. Then a familiar grunt sounded nearby, and I turned my head to find that Nico had found his feet, his gun jammed into my brother’s ribs.
This was it. The end of the road.
I always knew I wouldn’t make it to old age, but I never could have imagined that I would be executed at the hands of my own blood, with Rory’s cries for mercy ringing in my ears as she waited her turn.
With a final surge of energy, I twisted around, my gaze searching for my wife. She was seated on the couch, clutching a bundle of blankets containing Luca to her chest, rocking him as tears streaked down her face. A peace settled over my soul, knowing the last thing I ever saw would be them.
Chest crushed beneath Arianna’s boot, I wheezed, “I’m sorry.” Rory’s face scrunched up, her sobs only growing in volume. “And I love you too.”
My final words on this earth would be that confession.
For most of my life, I believed that surrendering to love was a choice. This past year with Rory had taught me that resisting when another’s heart called out to yours was futile. It was simply out of my control. And adding a baby to the mix only made my love for her grow.
Until this moment, I’d kept that secret locked deep inside, never giving Rory a single hint that’s how I felt. Hell, I’d been so firmly entrenched in denial that I was just now admitting it to myself. But that didn’t make it any less true.
Rory Bellini was my wife, the mother of my child, and the love of my life.
And I would go to my grave with only one regret. That I hadn’t told her sooner.
Unable to bear watching the horror of my death play out on her face, I let my eyes fall shut.
Three gunshots rang out in quick succession. Every muscle in my body tensed, anticipating excruciating pain to follow.
But it never came.
In fact, somehow, I was able to breathe easier, the weight on my chest vanishing.
“Wh—”
“I believe the words you are looking for are . . .” an all-too familiar voice drawled. “You were right, Enzo, we shouldn’t have gone in without a plan, but thanks for showing up just in the nick of time to save our asses.”
Sure enough, when I lifted my head, my cousin was standing at the open threshold of the secret passageway hidden behind a bookshelf, along with two of his security team. And lying motionless, in pools of blood with bullet holes through their foreheads were Dario, Nico, and Arianna.
While almost anticlimactic after the havoc they’d wreaked on our organization for over a decade, it was better that their deaths had been quick.
We couldn’t risk them escaping again. And it was more than fitting that Enzo was the one to do the honors, given that Dario had made his life Hell from the moment he was born.
“Fuck, am I glad to see you, man.” Matteo’s relief was palpable as he pulled Enzo into a bear hug.
They clapped each other on the back a few times before separating. Enzo stepped forward and offered me his hand, which I gratefully accepted, groaning as I was pulled to my feet.
Still in a state of shock, I asked, “How did you get here from the city?”
That cocky smirk tugged onto his lips. “Carjacked a plow truck.”
I shook my head. “Of course you did.”
“Couldn’t leave you hanging, now could I?”
A squawking cry demanded our attention, our heads turning on a swivel to where Rory sat, trying to soothe Luca.
“Dude,” Enzo stage whispered. “You have a kid.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Matteo stepped up to my side. “We may have cut off the head of the snake, but the rest of the traitors, especially our former capos, need to be taken care of. There’s no better time to eliminate them all than when they’re stuck inside their homes.”
My eyes locked with Rory’s, and I found myself at a crossroads.
If I went with my brother to send a message to anyone who might ever dare to challenge us again, I would be upholding my responsibility to everyone who’d sworn allegiance to my family and our organization.
But if I stayed, prioritizing my wife and my son, I would be sending a clear message that my family came first above all others.
It was a no-brainer.
My feet couldn’t move fast enough as I rushed toward Rory and Luca. And the minute they were within arm’s reach, I hauled them close, silently vowing to never let them go again.
Matteo hummed his approval. “Proud of you, brother. I’ll handle the capos.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t spare him a single glance, my hands roving over Rory, searching for signs of injury.
My voice came out strangled as I pulled the blankets away from Luca’s face. “Let me see him.”
Our little guy’s nose was scrunched up, preparing to let out an ear-splitting wail, but I welcomed the noise. It meant he was alive and well—something I would never take for granted.
“He’s okay.” Rory hiccupped. “We both are.”
Pressing my forehead to hers, I let out a shuddering breath. “Thank God.”
Against my lips, she murmured, “You didn’t stay away.”
“No. I couldn’t.”
With her free hand, she cupped my jaw. “I’m really glad you didn’t listen.”
Withdrawing, I stared into her glassy blue eyes. “Haven’t I proven I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth? You’re mine. Always and forever.”
A fresh set of tears crested her lashes. “Forever won’t be long enough.”
Today, we’d cheated death and were given a second chance at life.
I didn’t plan to waste it.